A Russian Sukhoi Su-57 fifth-generation fighter aircraft flies during the 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, in southern China’s Guangdong province on November 14, 2024. (Photo by HECTOR RETAMAL / AFP) (Photo by HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty Images
The primary purpose of major air shows around the world isn’t to dazzle crowds with aerial performances or even to showcase the flight skills of military and professional demonstration teams. It is to sell aircraft and other systems.
That fact explains why Rosoboronexport, the sole state intermediary agency for Russia’s defense-related exports and imports, continues to bring one of its high-profile aircraft to such events. In just over the past year, there have been flight demonstrations of the Sukhoi Su-57 (NATO reporting name “Felon”) at major air shows and exhibitions, including the 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in November 2024, at The Aero India 2025 air show last March, and earlier this month at the Dubai Airshow 2025.
The latter was the third appearance of the Su-57, along with the first aerial demonstration of the Su-57E, the export model of the fifth-generation stealth fighter. The United Aircraft Corporation, a subsidiary of the state-owned Rostec military-industrial conglomerate, continues to present the aircraft at these events in hopes of landing foreign sales.
“Negotiations with several foreign countries on supplying Su-57 aircraft are also planned during the Dubai Airshow 2025, when this aircraft will perform demonstration flights. Today, we can say that there is sustained interest in the fighter jet from foreign countries,” Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation Director Dmitry Shugayev told TASS earlier this month, in advance of the Dubai Airshow.
It is the same message that Rostec and Rosoboronexport have offered before nearly every event where the Su-57 will be present. It then follows that reports indicate there were numerous interested buyers, but that is often wishful thinking.
Apart from Algeria, which has committed to buying around a dozen of the aircraft, no buyers have lined up, even as Russia has sought to close a co-production deal with India that would see Hindustan Aeronautics Limited build the aircraft under license. The talks are ongoing, and even if this deal is closed, it won’t likely secure additional foreign sales.
Another Month, Another Air Show
Rosoboronexport announced on Friday that it will showcase the Su-27E at the EDEX 2025 International Military-Technical Forum, which kicks off on Monday in Cairo. Another TASS news report offered hyperbole, claiming that the Su-57E is “the world’s only fifth-generation aircraft with operational combat experience amid today’s complex air defense environments.”
Clearly, this ignores the fact that the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor has carried out ground attacks, and the Israeli Air Force used a variant of the F-35 Lightning II to strike positions in Iran earlier this year.
It isn’t surprising that Rostec and Rosoboronexport keep bringing the Su-57 to these air shows. It can perform extraordinary, even dramatic, aerial maneuvers, including rapid deceleration, flat spins, and inverted flight. These demonstrations impress the crowds and regularly go viral on social media, yet clearly aren’t leading to sales.
The reason should be apparent: today’s modern aerial combat often occurs beyond visual range. The Su-57’s flight displays prioritize spectacle over tactical effectiveness. In other words, the Su-57’s flight demonstrations are putting it in the spotlight, whereas in real-world combat, not being seen on radar is far more critical.
That fact also explains why, just a year ago, ahead of the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, Chinese social media widely mocked the aircraft, questioning its stealth capabilities. China offered a far less impressive flight demonstration of its Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon and a flyover of the Shenyang J-35, which drew an astonished reaction from the audience.
The attendees at last year’s air show understood that capable aircraft, not wild maneuvers, win future wars. The Su-57 will remain a crowd pleaser wherever it goes, but that’s unlikely to result in robust sales. Still, it is the only card Rosoboronexport can play. The Kremlin has avoided deploying its fifth-generation fighter in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, likely knowing that if one is shot down, it will also blow apart chances for future sales and destroy the mystique of the Felon.
Air shows are really the only place the Su-57 can shine, and that will continue to result in videos shared on social media and audience cheers. It is hardly a substitute for sales, however.